Since YOU Voted The Conference Group 2010’s #1 Audioconferencing Company…

We can’t help but ask for your support one more time by clicking here and voting for yours truly as the Channel Executive of the Year for 2011. It could be said that the past couple of years’ polls resulting in my being named a finalist, but not the industry’s top pick, could have given me an “always a bridesmaid” complex, but NO! Being recognized for this honor by those whom I have helped with their respective businesses, even though this number may not total those achieved by some of my esteemed colleagues, is still one of the greatest rewards that can be earned in my role as the head of our agent channel.

So, if you have just a moment to give me the “thumb’s up”, click here and be heard. We are listening!


Thanks to all and here’s to a healthy, happy, and productive 2011! Greg

Can a company have a soul?

For it to have any chance of surviving, it better! According to Webster, “soul” is defined, in part, as “the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings, or the universe” and “the moral and emotional nature of human beings spiritual or moral force.”


A couple of friends of mine who founded Genesis Strategy Group (www.genesisstrategygroup.com) originally got me thinking about the concept “soul” as it pertains to a company.


What is your company’s soul? Or, asked in another way, what is your company’s driving force?


Some companies call this their “mission statement”, or their “core values”. No matter what you call it, this is what defines your company for your internal (read “employees”) and external customers. By placing a conscious focus on this soul, every customer interaction and business decision is governed by the moral compass calibrated by the company’s soul. While this may sound esoteric, it is quite the opposite. This concept provides a roadmap to how the company responds to any situation it encounters. This reduces seemingly complicated scenarios, either with customers or employees, to very basic components with the course of action easily identified and implemented.


So, how do you define your company’s soul? Like human beings, an organization without a soul is, well… dead.

Please vote for The Conference Group!

Hello All!


In the spirit of election season (and still on a high from having little ol’ Delaware in the national spotlight courtesy of Christine O’Donnell), I am, once again, asking for your support in the 2010 Telecom Association’s members choice awards. The polls close at the end of November, but just to keep me from pestering you again in a couple of weeks, please take just a moment now to cast your vote!



Click on TelecomVote.com now to vote!

On another note, we recently participated in the first ever Telecom Association Shootout, “aimed” at telling the channel how our wholesale program is the best solution for you and your peers. Since you are, hopefully, already in the “zone” for voting, please tell Telecom Association that the Conference Group should be named the victor in the shootout. The added benefit is that you can register yourself as a conferencing subject matter expert with Telecom Association just by casting your vote. This is a great opportunity to learn more about us, our worthy opponents, AND gain some recognition yourself! Click on http://www.telecomassociation.com/firstfriday/101001/The_Best_White_Label_Conferencing_Solutions_October_2010.htm  to vote and get registered as a subject matter expert.

As always, thanks for your time and consideration. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me directly.



Thanks!

Greg

Thank You for Your Support!

Greetings from the Conference Group! Thank you for the votes that we have received thus far as your favorite conferencing provider. Not surprisingly, we have received more votes than any other conferencing company to date, BUT you know what happens when one rests on one’s laurels. If you have not had the chance to vote yet, and you agree with your peers that selected us as their favorite, please take just a moment to cast your vote here.



As always, thank you for your support!

It's Time to Vote!

Time to Vote at TelecomVote.com !


Hello All! Since none of us EVER procrastinates, I am taking a moment to touch bases with you to request your vote for 2010 Telecom Association’s members choice awards. The voting opened up about 15 minutes ago, so at the very least, you know THIS TIME, I didn’t procrastinate!

As you know, many of you are partly responsible for our success. If the Conference Group has had a part in any of your success, please take 30 seconds to give us the nod at TelecomVote.com.

Thanks for your time and consideration. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me directly. Thanks!

Out of sight, maybe. Out of mind, not so much.

As I write this, I am sitting on a plane returning from a few weeks away from the office, having piggy-backed a vacation onto a business trip. Though I have not been seated at my desk with my ground level view of the shrubs that line the foundation of our brown brick building for over two weeks, my email inbox and voicemail are devoid of any unread (or unheard) messages. The dread that had inevitably accompanied me on my way home from past vacations is strangely missing. The fear of the unknown (with regard to office happenings and/or client requests) is a thing of the past.


Armed with my company-issued laptop and brand-spanking-new Droid Incredible smart phone, I have not only been kept in the loop with the daily goings-on at the Conference Group’s home office, I have actually been able to contribute effectively, and even address policy issues, without ever setting foot in the office.


I know what you are thinking… “Big deal… I have been working from home, or the road, or from the middle of the ocean for years now.” True. I hear you. However, for me, as a former hardcore corporate type, this newfound productivity from afar is truly liberating. Now that I am current on the housekeeping items that accompany me in my role heading up sales for the company, I can hit the ground running upon my return to the office in the morning. Not facing an inbox of 1000 plus emails, a number of which are unsolicited cures for what ails me or the secret recipe that will result in my business growing exponentially in the next 6 months, I am free to channel my vacation-induced optimism into concrete initiatives that will allow me to tackle some of those sales ideas dreamed up while sitting poolside in the days leading up to my return to the mothership.


While the line between work and vacation has blurred with all of the fun new gadgets and communication services at our fingertips, I love the result. Now, if only I had coughed up the $4.95 to access the wi-fi service on the plane… you may have read this blog entry well before my feet ever touched the ground in Philadelphia. Next time…

Web Conferencing: Don’t Fear the AYCE Pricing Plans

The world is becoming flat… with regard to web conferencing pricing, that is… Following in the footsteps of Internet access, and cell phone usage, web conferencing is seeing a shift in pricing from consumption (usage) based pricing, to flat rate, “all-you-can-eat” pricing plans.


Is this good news? The knee-jerk response from the service provider viewpoint is “no”! Why would we be happy to offer up our services in an unlimited monthly (or even annual) package rather than on a per minute, “pay for every bite” structure? Simple… value (oh, and revenue, which we will get back to in a minute).


This is a great deal for the consumer, as they can now accurately predict (read control) costs associated with their web conferencing use. This part is obvious. What is not so obvious is that this is also a great deal for the provider. How so? Much like the consumers having a known expense each month, providers now have a known revenue stream each month. In addition, most web services are accompanied by a toll-free audio conference bridge that is invariably consumption (yes, “per bite”) based. Plus, meetings that are conducted with a visual component tend to last longer, hence the proverbial “win-win” scenario for both the consumer and the provider.


One last point… Flat-rate pricing has now granted access to the latest and greatest technological advances to smaller companies and non-profit organizations that may not have had the resources to partake before the flat-rate buffet was on the menu. Yet another “win” for all.


In these challenging economic times, the customer will always seek the best value he or she can find. Embrace the flat-rate pricing models for web conferencing and watch your revenue grow.




Greg Plum is the Director of Business Development for the Conference Group, a facilities-based conferencing and collaboration company with over 10 years’ experience serving channel partners and enterprise clients. Greg can be reached at greg.plum@conferencegroup.com .